Push
by angellwings
Summary: She probably should have warned him more often than she did, but she figured he would realize her family would be cut from the same cloth as her. Naitlyn.


**A/N: **So this is another one that has been sitting on my laptop for a while, and then tonight suburbs was talking about how she wanted someone to post some Caitlyn, and I decided to finish this one. Anyway, enjoy! Thanks to **PotR/Beth** for the title!

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Push**

By angellwings

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Caitlyn couldn't help but smirk at the uncomfortable picture Nate made. He was meeting her family. She knew her family was loud and crazy. They raised _her_ didn't they? She probably should have warned him more often than she did, but she figured he would realize her family would be cut from the same cloth as her.

But from his body language and the look on his face…he didn't.

She chuckled and made her way to him. She had gone to get a peek at her cousin's wedding dress and left him with her uncle and her dad. She sat down on the loveseat next to him and patted his knee.

"Caity," Her uncle said as he saw her.

"Yes, Ned?"

"Your boyfriend's awfully quiet."

Her uncle was teasing Nate, but to someone who wasn't used to her family it must have sounded like a condescending judgment. Only then did she realize Nate was seething under the surface. What had she been thinking? She left Nate alone with her relatives who had no idea how to interact with people who weren't used to them.

"Uncle Ned, he's not used to you. Back off."

Caitlyn said it in a soft tone so that Ned knew she wasn't really scolding him.

"So, Nate, you're a rock star?"

Caitlyn groaned at her father's question, "Dad."

"What? I want to know what the boy does for a living. You're not a teenager anymore, Caity," Her father told her with a teasing lilt to his voice.

Nate put an arm around Caitlyn's shoulders and answered, "I guess you could call me that. Although as I get older I'm more of a songwriter and producer than anything else."

"You're still touring though aren't you?"

"Yes, still touring."

"Uh huh, and you expect to have a long term relationship with my Caity while you're off gallivanting around the world?"

Caitlyn glared at her father. "_Daddy_."

"What? It's a legitimate question."

Caitlyn sighed and gave Nate an apologetic glance. She had made her father promise to be nice, but that, apparently, meant nothing to him.

"Caity and I have been managing just fine, sir. She's very understanding about things like that," Nate said as he pointed a soft smile at her.

Caitlyn smiled at him and then turned toward her dad, "It's not as complicated as it sounds, daddy. I fly out a couple of times during whatever tour it is and visit for a weekend or two. It's not a big deal to pull together. And with my salary it's not a big expense. And usually when he's got a couple of weekends off he'll fly out to see me. We make sure to work it out. So, father dearest, you have nothing to worry about."

"Worried? Who said I was worried? I was merely curious," Her father said with a playful grin.

Caitlyn sighed and flashed her father a small grin. "You're mean."

"Yes, I am." Mr. Gellar smirked. "The two of you make teasing you so much fun."

Caitlyn rolled her eyes patted Nate's knee again. "You can relax now. You've survived the 'interrogation'."

"Wait, the glib questions and condescending remarks…they were _teasing_ me?" Nate asked in confusion.

"My family likes to push people's buttons and test their limits. It's just the way we are."

"That's…_insane_."

Caitlyn laughed. "Hello? Have you met me? Of course, my family is insane."

"Oh! There he is!"

Caitlyn and Nate looked up to find Mrs. Gellar racing toward them.

"Nate!"

Nate's eyes widened as a group of middle aged women surrounded him and pulled him into the dining room.

"Come and tell us all about yourself!"

Nate shot Caitlyn an urgent pleading look, and Caitlyn smothered a smirk with her hand. She slowly made her way forward and fought to the center of the group. "Ladies! Ladies!"

The women turned toward Caitlyn expectantly.

"Why don't we give Nate a few family events to get used to us before you all drill him with your questions? Hmm?"

"But, Caitlyn—"

"Mom, leave him be."

Her mom groaned and pouted before releasing Nate's arm. "Fine, but you owe me."

Caitlyn took Nate's hand and lead him onto the screened in back porch.

"What was that?" Nate asked with wide afraid eyes.

"That was my mother and my aunts."

Nate took a deep breath and took Caitlyn's hand. "Caity, I love you, but your family scares me. A lot."

She chuckled. "They're intense. I know."

"I—I mean I know you warned me, but I wasn't expecting _this_ many people. Your family is the size of our road crew! And they're all exactly like you! I just—How do I—What—are you _laughing _at me?"

Caitlyn was clutching her stomach as she laughed. His face looked so flustered. She'd never seen him like that. Ever.

"I'm sorry. But…you were stuttering, and your face was turning red—"

"Cait," Nate said seriously. "I'm not laughing."

Caitlyn's laughter faded and her brow furrowed. "Okay, wow. What's up?"

"What's up? What's up?" He repeated. "What's up is that I'm never going to fit in with your family! How can I? They're so different from me. I mean you're different from me, but it works for us. It's balanced. There's one of you and one of me. But here, there's LOTS of you and only ONE of me."

Caitlyn's eyebrows rose higher and higher as he spoke. He was genuinely freaking out about this. She'd never seen him act like this.

"Nate," She said softly. "You have nothing to worry about."

He gave her a look that clearly said he wasn't buying it. She sighed and reached for his hand again.

"I don't care if you fit in with my family. I just want to know that you care enough to _try_."

"What?" He asked in confusion.

"All I wanted was for you to meet them and them to meet you. Whether you fit in or even get along with them is unimportant. Today was about the two most important parts of my life acknowledging the other. That's all."

"That's all? You really don't care—"

"I don't gave a tiny rat's ass how well you get along with my family," She said as she stepped into his personal space and wrapped her arms around his neck. "As long as you _continue_ to get along with _me._"

He smiled warmly at her. "You really are amazing."

Caitlyn shrugged and winked at him. "I know."

Nate grinned and leaned forward to place a soft kiss on Caitlyn's lips. He kissed her slowly and then pulled away. "I might have been too hasty in saying I'd _never_ fit in with your family. It just might take me a while."

Caitlyn smiled at him, "That's perfectly fine. I've got all the time in the world."

"You do?" He asked.

"For you? Of course I do."


End file.
